You ran into my uncles theory. The churches were built by Carpathian Rus immigrants which my Uncle Jack is second generation. Old Forge is similar in this nature.
Fascinating! Thanks for sharing, Tyler. Iām so curious how he came up with it ā was it something he heard and passed down or concluded himself? The mystery continues!
Oh this is a very convoluted and nuanced answer. Lol I don't know 100% but he was very isolated most of his life up until he died.
Olyphant, the whole valley really (most of my childhood was spent living in Simpson), was settled by Poles, Ukrainians (Rusyn/Ruthenians), and Germans.
There's tons of churches of which my great nana and Uncle Jack lived in one for years. I remember it as a kid, our church was right around the corner from his house.
He spent time in the military doing God knows what and he claims he was a chemist. I found some interesting photos when I was going through his stuff that makes me curious more about his service experience and how it ties into the theory of Olyphant. I believe he painted or serviced drones in the 50's or 60s but I'm not sure. If so this could explain the UFO angle.
Olyphant is culturally Ukrainian and at the time of the initial wave of settlers in the 1900s they became isolated due to language differences and cultural differences. They also were coming from war torn Europe as it grew closer to WW1. The first page of his manifesto has "don't live alone" several times and I believe this to be a recent addition he wrote in. My great nana died in 04 so he was quite isolated from what I know which I think made him double down on his theory even though he's lived in Factoryville since they tore the apartments down at the church in 04.
He passed a couple years back and my parents took over his estate. His sister, my nana, passed last year. She lives her last few months at my uncles and was able to be around his things. I tried piecing a family tree together and have found some interesting things about their names.
For ordinary people him and his family lived fascinating lives from what I've pieces together so far from stories and different sources.
What a fascinating guy, and a fun mystery for you to unravel. The mystery of Olyphant itself is mysterious, and the guy behind it might be moreso. It seems he really wanted people to know something he felt he knew and it was important. I hope he found what he was looking for before he died. May he Rest In Peace and the mystery live on. Thanks for sharing about your Uncle Jack and some background on the area. It helps to put everything in context.
A gripping travelogue with your inimitable stamp on it. āļø Did Rod Serling pop out of that pyramid pile of shale?
āWe donāt really think about that too much around here.ā Reminds me of a similar response I got while wandering San Diego's Ocean Beach neighborhood when I innocently (naĆÆvely?) asked someone there about the Hells Angels connection in that part of the city. Only instead of "think", he said "talk".
You ran into my uncles theory. The churches were built by Carpathian Rus immigrants which my Uncle Jack is second generation. Old Forge is similar in this nature.
My uncles theory is a mystery even to me.
Fascinating! Thanks for sharing, Tyler. Iām so curious how he came up with it ā was it something he heard and passed down or concluded himself? The mystery continues!
Oh this is a very convoluted and nuanced answer. Lol I don't know 100% but he was very isolated most of his life up until he died.
Olyphant, the whole valley really (most of my childhood was spent living in Simpson), was settled by Poles, Ukrainians (Rusyn/Ruthenians), and Germans.
There's tons of churches of which my great nana and Uncle Jack lived in one for years. I remember it as a kid, our church was right around the corner from his house.
He spent time in the military doing God knows what and he claims he was a chemist. I found some interesting photos when I was going through his stuff that makes me curious more about his service experience and how it ties into the theory of Olyphant. I believe he painted or serviced drones in the 50's or 60s but I'm not sure. If so this could explain the UFO angle.
Olyphant is culturally Ukrainian and at the time of the initial wave of settlers in the 1900s they became isolated due to language differences and cultural differences. They also were coming from war torn Europe as it grew closer to WW1. The first page of his manifesto has "don't live alone" several times and I believe this to be a recent addition he wrote in. My great nana died in 04 so he was quite isolated from what I know which I think made him double down on his theory even though he's lived in Factoryville since they tore the apartments down at the church in 04.
He passed a couple years back and my parents took over his estate. His sister, my nana, passed last year. She lives her last few months at my uncles and was able to be around his things. I tried piecing a family tree together and have found some interesting things about their names.
For ordinary people him and his family lived fascinating lives from what I've pieces together so far from stories and different sources.
What a fascinating guy, and a fun mystery for you to unravel. The mystery of Olyphant itself is mysterious, and the guy behind it might be moreso. It seems he really wanted people to know something he felt he knew and it was important. I hope he found what he was looking for before he died. May he Rest In Peace and the mystery live on. Thanks for sharing about your Uncle Jack and some background on the area. It helps to put everything in context.
A gripping travelogue with your inimitable stamp on it. āļø Did Rod Serling pop out of that pyramid pile of shale?
āWe donāt really think about that too much around here.ā Reminds me of a similar response I got while wandering San Diego's Ocean Beach neighborhood when I innocently (naĆÆvely?) asked someone there about the Hells Angels connection in that part of the city. Only instead of "think", he said "talk".
Lol only in my dreams! Rod will forever be an influence in my life, and I certainly felt his presence that day in Olyphant.
My encounter was far less menacing than the one you narrowly avoided. Sounds like you picked the right person to ask!
Enchanting as always Rachael :) Congrats to your brother!
Thanks, Christine! <3 It was a lovely wedding and time to be back east.